Scholarship to help descendents of Special Ops airmen

Friday

Three years after his death, Brig. Gen. Heinie Aderholt’s name is being carried on through a new college scholarship.

Three years after his death, Brig. Gen. Heinie Aderholt’s name is being carried on through a new college scholarship.

Aderholt, also known as Air Commando One, was a driving force behind the formation of Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field during his 30 years with the military.

He died May 20, 2010, at the age of 90.

His wife, Anne, established the Harry C. “Heinie” Aderholt Memorial Scholarship at Troy University last fall. The first recipient will be awarded the scholarship before the next school year.

First preference will be given to children or grandchildren of Air Force Special Operations airmen and to descendents of Hmong tribesmen from Laos who fought with U.S. troops during the Vietnam War.

“He would have been so pleased that he is still helping to educate,” Anne Aderholt said recently. “If I have my way, this will go on for a long, long time.”

Aderholt’s father was killed in a train accident when he was 9 years old, leaving his mother to raise him and his six brothers and sisters. He dropped out of high school to help raise his siblings.

He did not attend college, and his promotion to brigadier general was unusual in that he did not have a diploma.

“What you can learn from him is that anything is possible. Just look at him and where he came from and what he was able to accomplish,” Anne said. “All it takes is dedication and a will to achieve.”

Aderholt joined the military in World War II as a fighter pilot.

He worked with the CIA and Air Force to form what was known as the First Air Commando Group, one of the earliest versions of today’s 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt.

In the late 1960s, he conceived and directed an Air Force Special Operations unit to fight a covert war against the North Vietnamese. It was often fought in Laos, where the United States denied it had forces.

In 1973, about a year after he retired as a colonel, he was recalled to duty and promoted to brigadier general with the job to withdraw troops from Vietnam. He was the last general officer to leave the country.

After he retired, Aderholt turned his attention toward rectifying what he saw as the country’s disservice to Laotian tribesmen.

“The United States was supposed to take care of them if they would help them fight, and they didn’t do it,” Anne said. “They were left to be chased —still to this day — by the Vietnamese who despise them because they helped the United States.”

Aderholt helped bring a number of Hmong come to the United States.

Anne Aderholt said she chose Troy University because of its connection to the military. It has campuses at a number of bases, including Eglin Air Force Base and Hulburt Field.

She provided an initial $25,000 endowment for the scholarship, and others have contributed. She said she hopes more people will help.

Tax deductible donations can be made to Troy University, Office of Development, 1120 U.S. Highway 231, Troy, AL 36082. Include Harry C. Aderholt’s name with the donation.